Center Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers suffered a small tear on the meniscus of his right knee after his team endured a close loss against the Washington Wizards on Monday. The injury came about during the first quarter of Monday night's game, when Embiid took an awkward fall that he couldn't walk off. The team had been previously undefeated in their playoff bout against the Wizards and were chasing a sweep of the whole series. The Center has been put on day-to-day watch for the rest of the series against Washington, although he is confirmed to not be on the roster for tonight's Game 5 in Philadelphia. This is a massive letdown for Sixers fans who think Embiid, who averages a career 22.6 points per playoff game, was the key to finishing the Wizards and moving on.
Embiid previously suffered a more significant injury on his left leg earlier this season, in March, where he missed 10 games for a bone bruise. Fans and twitter users are extremely wary of a similar outcome and are expressing their anxieties about the pivotal player.
One viewer offered: "I don't know how anyone can say they watched game 4 and didn't notice the team looking lost without Embiid to lead the offense."
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Others are gauging the risk of allowing him to play on his injured knee-- "He could possibly play w/ the injury if the tear is on the periphery & doesn’t impact functional movement. But he will still have to manage the associated symptoms (pain, swelling) & there is some risk of worsening the tear"-- while Sixers diehards are wondering if Embiid will be able to play in the next playoff round if the Sixers clinch the series: "I need to know the medical side. But if 76ers can close this out tonight and Knicks can stretch out this Hawks series a few more games, that's going to give Embiid up to 7 days maybe extra to rest/rehab. This is my optimistic take on things."
While he definitely will not be on the court tonight, doctors say they will be keeping a close eye on the location of the tear and surrounding blood flow to make decisions about possible playtime.
Will you be tuning in to Game 5 tonight? Can the Sixers pull through without Embiid or is this an opportunity for the Wizards to catch up?
Check out the original tweets on the matter below.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1400135497461215235
https://twitter.com/_/status/1400146063835729922
https://twitter.com/_/status/1400156095419723782
https://twitter.com/_/status/1400159847157538817